Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Boston-Bruins

Of all the playoff predictions made last week, not even a guy who thinks he was wrongly canned as coach of the Canadiens coach could have hoped for this.

What’s worse than a clean sweep?

Last night, the Habs were essentially eliminated by the Bruins in three.

“We think we can win a game,” Montreal winger Tom Kostopoulos said after a 4-2 dream-ending loss to the B’s. “We need to win one game. (Tomorrow) night. We think we can win one game, so that’s what we’ve got to concentrate on.”

Gather round, class: Professor Edwards wants to tell you about how the Bruins are like patriots who have thwarted the tyranny of the Habs. Or something like that. If you can remember the last hockey goal call that began “234 years ago yesterday, a bunch of rag-tag farmers stood up against the greatest fighting force in the world,” we’d like to hear it.

Suspended Boston Bruins battering ram Milan Lucic was not necessarily disappointed in Colin Campbell’s decision to suspend him for Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night.

His disappointment lied elsewhere.

“I’m a little disappointed in myself,” Lucic said Monday in his first comments since the decision was handed down Sunday evening, “because our team’s done a really good job of being disciplined.”

Lucic, Bruins coach Claude Julien and general manager Peter Chiarelli all said they would have to live with Campbell’s decision, even if they don’t necessarily agree with it, and they each made a point of noting how difficult Campbell’s job can be.

TORONTO - Boston Bruins’ forward Milan Lucic has been suspended for one game as a result of a blow to the head in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series last night against the Montreal Canadiens.

Lucic was assessed a match penalty for highsticking Montreal forward Maxim Lapierre at 15:28 of the third period.

“While it is unclear whether Lucic’s glove or stick makes contact with Lapierre, what is clear is that he delivered a reckless and forceful blow to the head of his opponent,” said NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.

Matt Hunwick has been transported from Ristuccia Arena via ambulance to an undisclosed hospital. Claude Julien said Hunwick has been hospitalized because of a spleen ailment.

Hunwick arrived at the rink this morning for a team meeting. Hunwick looked fine when he walked into the rink. According to Julien, Hunwick started feeling ill after he arrived, prompting the training staff to call for an ambulance. Two fire trucks and two police cars also arrived at Ristuccia.

“He didn’t feel very good, so our trainers did what was right and called an ambulance,” Julien said. “Hopefully we can get some good news here as we move on.”

The gritty Montreal Canadiens defenceman wants to make that clear to anyone who claims he gouged the eye of Boston Bruins’ Matt Hunwick after the final horn on Thursday night.

Informed that Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli had made that allegation and requested that the league review the incident, Komisarek broke into a sarcastic grin, the type that implied the message: “You’ve got to be (expletive) kidding me.”

On the record, Komisarek’s language was not quite as vulgar. But his response to Chiarelli was just as direct.

“It’s a bit of a ridiculous statement,” Komisarek said. “It’s the playoffs. Face-washes happen on every second shift in the playoffs. I don’t know if the kid (Hunwick) has soft skin. (But) I’m not Larry, Moe or Curly. I’m not trying to poke anyone’s eye out.”

Statistics compiled by John Dellapina at NHL.com argue that the winner of Game 2 has a remarkable 381-150 record in the playoffs, a winning percentage of .718. Game 1 winners haven’t had quite the success, though the winning percentage there is still an impressive .691.

Game 2 victors who rebounded from a Game 1 defeat have gone on to a 127-113 record (.529). So if you only win one of the two opening matches, the odds are better if you can take the second….

“We’ve got to find a way to break the game open,” says Christopher Higgins, who scored one of the two Montreal goals last Thursday. Kovalev had the second.

How they do this is the question. The Canadiens played admirably, but it wasn’t enough. They checked hard, but Higgins would argue not hard enough.

“Don’t let ‘em breathe when they get the puck,” is his solution for fore-checking the deep and physical Boston defence led by Norris Trophy candidate Zdeno Chara.